Vehicles frequently come equipped with telematics systems capable of remote communication with cloud-based resources and other service providers. In some instances, these systems use occupant mobile devices in order to communicate with the remote systems. The devices can serve the additional purpose of identifying the device owner for the vehicle, which can be useful in providing tailored connected services. Typically the devices will communicate with the vehicle, but not with each other. Often, the vehicle may only be connected to a single device at a time, to utilize the resources of that device to provide connective services.
A device typically is made aware of proximity to a vehicle when the vehicle pages the device. This frequently occurs after the vehicle has been powered. So as to preserve power, the vehicle typically does not send out constant paging, waiting for a known device to come into reception proximity. While this does serve to preserve power, it also means that the device is not connected to the vehicle until the owner is already in the vehicle. This arrangement may make it difficult for the owner to exercise any control over the vehicle via the device, before entering the vehicle, if such control is desired.
U.S. Application Publication No. 2005/0237166 generally relates to a vehicle anti-thief device that includes an on-vehicle main unit, an on-vehicle bluetooth module, and a bluetooth mobile terminal to be carried by the user. When the user leaves the car, the on-vehicle bluetooth module receives no signal from the bluetooth mobile terminal and then drives the on-vehicle main unit into alarm mode. When the user with the bluetooth mobile terminal enters the communication radius of the bluetooth module, the bluetooth mobile terminal connects the on-vehicle bluetooth module wirelessly and gives a disarm signal to disarm alarm setting of the on-vehicle main unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,126,450 generally relates to a system and method for unlocking a vehicle with a cell phone. Wireless signals are monitored from a cell phone. A signal is received from the cell phone. A distance between the cell phone and the vehicle is determined. Doors of the vehicle are unlocked in response to the cell phone nearing the vehicle. The doors of the vehicle are locked in response to the cell phone being further separated from the vehicle.